Wednesday, 1 December 2010

Anouk

Anouk Aimee remains as alluring and mysterious as ever, as per my other posts on her. Best known of course for Demy's LOLA and THE MODEL SHOP, Fellini's LA DOLCE VITA and 8 1/2 and of course Lelouch's UN HOMME ET UNE FEMME [I can watch that "Samba Saravah" sequence over and over], here are some stills from some other of her choice movies: I love the flawed version of Durrell's JUSTINE (completed by Cukor in '69), top with Michael York and (middle) Anna Karina in that very exotic recreation of 30s Alexandria, and of course Aldrich's 1962 SODOM AND GOMORRAH is choice camp now with Anouk as the lesbian queen Bera with her penchant for slave girls, with Stanley Baker as her jealous brother and those assorted Euro-babes Scilla Gabel, Rosanna Podesta (HELEN OF TROY herself) and Pier Angeli, and of course Stewart Granger as Lot! It's delirious fun ...

Dirk Bogarde knew Anouk since she was a teenager, he is also in JUSTINE, and she later played in a tv version of one of his novels VOICES IN THE GARDEN. She is also good in Altman's PRET A PORTER, FESTIVAL IN CANNES and so many others. It was nice to discover some of her earlier ones like THE GOLDEN SALAMANDER in 1949 with Trevor Howard, and it is always a pleasure tracking down some of her other French films. She wasn't too bothered with being a star or an actress though and more or less retired when she married Albert Finney, she then returned to the movies after that marriage finished. His loss, our gain....

My 1962 TOWN Marilyn cover magazine, when I was 16

My 1962 Antonioni magazine, when I was 16, I still have them.

About Me

Just retired, writing memoir and movie reviews and star profiles on imdb. I started going to the movies aged 8 in Ireland in 1954, and moved to London in 1964, when 18, just in time for Swinging London. [It certainly did, from seeing Streisand in Funny Girl in 1966, in the front row, to Aretha at her peak, The Doors and Jefferson Airplane all-nighter at the Roundhouse, and 2001 on acid... and meeting a lot of my favourites: Bogarde, Loren, Remick, Heston, Bergman etc.] Commenting here on all kinds of movies from art-house (I am an Antonioni kind of guy) to sword-and-sandal, re-living the 50s and 60s and 70s and going back to the 30s and 40s - but mainly loving the late '50s and early '60s. Into English and international movies as well as those Italian, French, American and others....then there's books, music and everything else. Thanks to imdb pals Daryl and Timshelboy for leading me further into neglected hollywood classics and the more outre international choice items. My IMDb profiles are at: http://www.imdb.com/user/ur7940682/boards/profile/?preview=1